Gouramis not getting along

This is a discussion on Gouramis not getting along within the Anabantids forums, part of the Freshwater and Tropical Fish category; -->
this is my first fish tank and when i went in to buy them the guy said i could keep 7 of them if ...

this is my first fish tank and when i went in to buy them the guy said i could keep 7 of them if i wanted in a 10g tank and that sounded like it was a bad idea at the time so im glad i didnt do that. the guy that owns the pet shop is 1 of 2 places in my town that sells fish the other being pet smart(:/) a this guy is incredibly rude and i guess doesnt really know what he's doing so in a way im kind of stuck. the gourami thats being atacked is my favorite but i dont know what to do about the other because i cant return since iv had them for a few months and iv got no other tanks.

7 in a 10 gallon?! Oo;; Oh my, there should be a law agents something like that....
I'd advise you to never go back to him or give him anymore of your money, he obviously has less of a clue then PetSmart or Petco even and thats saying a lot.
Petsmart isn't so bad....but i don't think that they take fish, you never know though.
Anyway, I'd advise you to go to the guy and explain that things aren't working out and ask if he'd just take back the fish.
If that doesn't work, you could always advertise to sell the aggressor on Creigs list in your area.

yeah the guy is an ass too i went in to ask him for advice the other day and i walked up to him and said "hey, i have a fish problem, my two gourami are fighting really badly" and he said "your problem isnt my problem"

Oo; My.....yeah, definitely don't ever go back to him, and don't ask him for advice. IME, Petsmart really isn't all to bad, its Petco you gotta watch out for.
Heres another option for ya.....
If they are the only two in the tank, go out and get a tank divider and divide the tank. From there you can....
1. Set up another tank and wait for it to cycle, then put the aggressor in there(another 10 gallon would be fine)
2. Advertise on Creigs list in your area and wait for responses.

Though, I think maybe just the two in a 10 gallon with a divider might be okay, similar to putting two bettas in a separated 10
Anyone else is welcome the chime in though...

is there an easier way than just craigeslist to get rid of it because i actualy used to have 4 in the tank when i bought everything from the guy but one died and i already gave one away on craigeslist and im thinking maybe i could just give both away and start over with a better tank set up

Well if the guy won't take the fish back and you don't want to do Creigs list then you could either offer them to a friend that has an aquarium or put them down.....but I wouldn't advise that at all, especially when there is a chance for them to go to a good home(advertising on Creigs list/friends aquarium)
Goodness, I'd take the little buggers if I could

You could give both or one away or go with the divider idea, your choice. If you keep one they can be kept with some sort of smaller schooling fish/pygmy corys/a couple male guppies/ect. and do just fine. I currently have a Honey Gourami(dwarf species)in a 10 gallon living with a juvenile male guppy that I raised and they get along famously.
But if you want to start over completely and give both away(or even just for one)I do highly recommend the Creigs list rout.

Nope, very bad idea.
First off a 10 gallon is too small for almost any Cichlid. IMO and from everything I've read even the smallest shouldn't put them in anything less then a 20 long.
Also IME, Cichlids and Gouramis just don't get along. Did it in my earlier days of fish keeping with very, very bad results.

what are some fish other can gourami than can go in a 10g tank are there some species of schooling fish or would a couple of those glo fish do well. also if you know anything about tank restoration maybe you could help me out with a project im doing, hit the link for more infohttp://www.fishforum.com/freshwater-...78/#post210515

Quite a few options you have, but it would depend on if you are going to keep one of the Gouramis or not.
If so, you could keep a small school, 5-6, of most tetra species. Without the Gourami you may be able to bump that number up one or two. You could also keep 4 or so Pygmy corys providing you have none sharp gravel/sand substrate.
Glofish are genetically altered Zebra Danios and from my understanding tend to be nippy so I wouldn't keep them with the Gourami as you couldn't bump the school up enough to spread out aggression and they would likely nip at the Gourami. Perhaps around 5 by themselves would be alright in a 10.
You could keep a few male guppies too Three I think would be alright with the Gourami, 5 without.(unless you want fry, then 1 male+3 female guppies but be prepared for a LOT of fry).
Do a little googling, find some small fish species you really like, learn as much about it as you can, then come ask any questions and I along with many others I'm sure would be more then happy to help

I don't know much about aquarium restoration so not sure how much I can help in that area, sorry.